Adrift
by SkyFangirl
Summary: Set just after the movie ends. Aaron and Marta have a brief moment of quiet to explore their budding relationship once the bullets stop flying.
1. Chapter 1

"_I was kind of hoping we were lost."_

The words hung in the air around them for a moment, the span of a couple heartbeats as she leaned across the table staring at him. The faint lines around his deep grayish-blue eyes crinkled slightly as a slow smile quirked at the corner of his lips. He carefully rolled the charts and pushed them aside before turning towards her, fixing her with his gaze. She could feel her pulse fluttering in her throat as he turned his attention completely to her; those large, strong hands that could move so fast, inflict so much damage were gentle now as they crept across the table to envelope her pale fingers.

They sat like that for a long moment, possibilities swirling around them. Fingers entwined, eyes locked together, nervous smiles playing around both of their lips, Marta broke first and the couple shared a laugh as the absurdity of the situation was not lost on either of them. They had known each other for a matter of days, bursting into each other's lives in a hail of bullets, running halfway across the world, killing to save each other, and all she could think about was the feel of his hands on hers and the blush that rose to her pale cheeks when he looked at her like this. For the first time in a long time she felt truly alive, sitting on a leaky fishing boat in the middle of the Pacific in salt-stained clothes that she had been wearing for far too long, holding hands like a smitten teenager with a man who up until recently had existed as little more than blood work and a number in her drab little world of laboratories and top secret research. She felt a pang of regret for the way she had treated him in her former life and some of that must have flickered across her face because he tightened his grip briefly before turning her hands over in his and pulling her a little closer.

Those expressive eyes of his searched hers and she shook her head slightly, pulling her hands away and tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Just thinking," she murmured. "I've known you for less than a week and I feel more connected to you than I ever did with…" _Peter. Your fiancé. _"Anyone. I hate that I treated you like a lab rat, that all this time slipped by without…"

"Stop, Marta. Stop. You were doing your job, you couldn't have known…" He trailed off, flicking his gaze across the water before turning his eyes back to hers. "I said some things the other day, accusing you. I shouldn't have done that."

"No, you were right," she said quietly, standing and pacing towards the railing. Her hands gripped the worn wood and she dropped her head, sighing softly. "You tried to warn me months ago, Aaron. You tried to reach out to me, to talk to me, to get a human response and I shut you down. I'm so sorry. I was so sure of myself, so blinded by the science, so unwilling to think about anything beyond the numbers, the results…I…"

Aaron was behind her, his rough hands gliding over her bare arms before she even registered that he had risen from the table. He pulled her into him, back into his chest, his lips tickling the curve of her ear and she found herself shivering in the warm afternoon breeze. "Don't," he muttered, "Don't do this to yourself. You think I haven't done things I wish I could erase? The way you look at me now, here; that's what counts. Neither of us is innocent, hell if you knew half the things I've done, the things I've seen, you'd run screaming. Patriotism? Duty? You have no idea, and I hope you never do." He paused and she leaned her head back onto his shoulder, as he drew his arms tight around her waist. He placed a gentle kiss to the side of her neck and smiled against her skin. "Wait. You remember that conversation? I didn't even think you were listening."

She turned, leaning her back against the rail and splaying her fingers across his chest. He was so close, so warm, and she felt another flush rising over her cheeks. Her right hand slid towards the bandage on his shoulder and she bit her lower lip, trying to distract herself from the haze that descended over her normally nimble mind under his intense gaze, the feel of his muscular chest under her fingertips, his protective arms wrapped around her, flexing slightly now to draw their hips closer together. She glanced up at him through her lashes, a nervous smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "I noticed you," she breathed. "You were…different. Difficult." He smirked down at her, remembering. "Other participants would complain sometimes, or question some of the tests, but you? You challenged me. I thought I was brushing you off, staying professional, detached. Your eyes though…I always remembered your eyes, the way you looked at me. Like I was a woman, not a lab coat. I don't think anyone ever looked at me the way you did. Do. God, I'm babbling." She broke away, turning her attention to his bandage again, smoothing the fabric and trying to regain her focus.

What remained of her self-control went out the window when his hands slid up her back, across her shoulders, fingertips whispering over her neck and coming to rest in the loose hairs which had escaped her ponytail. One hand cradled her chin, tilting her face up to his again, and she barely registered his tongue flicking out to wet his lips before his mouth met hers. Her hands shot to his waist, steadying her as he broke the kiss, his grey eyes searching her hazy brown orbs and apparently finding what he sought as he pulled her close, claiming her lips again.

She melted into his chest, her heartbeat thundering in her ears. Her whole world shrank down to the feel of his fingers pressing them close together, his arms holding her upright, her knees trembling beneath her as their tongues danced. Suddenly Aaron stiffened, pulling away and turning slightly to put his body in front of hers defensively as the fisherman's son approached clutching a pair of steaming bowls with a wide grin on his face. Marta blinked twice and touched her lips, trying to gather her reeling mind. "Good lord," she thought, for the thousandth time in two days. "What have I gotten myself into?"


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hey all! Had to watch the movie again this morning, I just can't get enough of these two. Thanks to everyone following this! Read, review and enjoy! **_

* * *

As the afternoon passed quickly into evening, Aaron and Marta sat next to each other eating fish stew (which, privately Aaron hated but he was appreciative of the hospitality the family showed them.) The fisherman's sons were a lively pair, working hard under their father's stern eyes and joking back and forth as they jostled each other amicably. He thought back to his own lonely childhood; his mother working double shifts and drinking herself to sleep, sparing little attention for the son she never wanted, and later the state home when the woman who bore him finally gave up and abandoned him soon after he entered grade school. He remembered that feeling, walking home and arriving at an empty house, fixing a bowl of cereal for himself and sitting in the darkened living room until he fell asleep. It was a week before his teachers realized that little Kenneth's situation had taken a turn, that the slow, quiet boy was wearing the same clothes day after day and stealing food from the lunch room. He hadn't quite understood why the police were taking him to the state home for boys, why his teacher was so sad. His mother always came back eventually.

A movement at his side broke him from his reverie. Marta was staring at him, her forehead wrinkled in a frown. Abruptly he realized she had been talking to him and he racked his brain trying to recall what it was.

"Aaron? Are you alright?" She leaned forward, eyes searching his face. Worried, she was worried that he was slipping again.

"What? Yeah. Sorry. I was thinking. It's nothing. What were you saying?" He reached over and brushed the back of her hand with his fingertips, resting his hand atop hers.

Her eyes flickered from his hand to his face and she relaxed a bit. "The boys. Can you understand them? I heard you answering them earlier. I know you speak Russian...at least you can count."

He grinned at her, at how he used to show off during his exams, flexing and trying his best to impress the pretty doctor. "I'm not fluent, but I do speak enough Tagalog to get along. I'd be careful here though; you'd be surprised how many Filipinos speak English, though they might not let you know it right away. It's a beautiful country, it's a shame you only really saw the poor side of the city."

She smiled, leaning into his shoulder. "I've been here before, you know. Manilla. I never really saw much outside the lab, though. I never saw much of anywhere outside whichever lab I was visiting. I always thought I was fairly well traveled, but taking shuttles from the airport to the office and back doesn't really count now that I think about it." She sighed, staring out over the water and his fingers tightened reflexively over her hand. "We can't stay here, can we?"

He frowned slightly. "Manilla? No. I mean there are plenty of islands around here; we could hole up for a little while and regroup, maybe. The city itself is too dangerous, who knows if they already sent another one of those agents after us? They obviously know by now where we stayed, and that their guy is dead. Well done on that, by the way, that was quick thinking."

Now it was Marta's turn to frown. "I panicked; I didn't know what else to do. You were losing so much blood, and he was just there, he wouldn't stop…he was going to kill us. They're never going to stop, are they?"

Aaron turned, grabbing her by the arms and pulling her until they were face to face. Her breath tickled his lips and her large brown eyes were glistening with unshed tears. He wanted so badly to kiss her, to comfort her, to lie to her and convince her it would all be fine, to take her back to their cabin and make her forget all about Outcome, killer agents and anything else that put that fear into her beautiful eyes. His hand slid up her arm, grazing her collarbone and settled on her throat, thumb stroking her chin. "I'm sorry, Marta. I don't know what I can do to make this better. Unless something changes, something big, we're going to have to run and keep on running. I wish I could fix this for you, let you go home to your life, but right now all I can do is try to keep us alive."

Marta closed her eyes, leaning into his hand. His thumb brushed her lower lip and she leaned towards him, parting her lips slightly."I don't want that life anymore," she breathed, her hands gliding down his sides and resting on his hips. "We'll figure this out, I know we will. There has to be a way. Right now, all I want…all I need is you." His eyes flicked back and forth between her lips and her heavy-lidded eyes, he could feel her pulse racing beneath his fingertips. Some small part of his hyperactive mind was spinning away, calculating exit points, watching for signs of movement around him. The majority, though, was unwavering and intent on the thought of pulling this woman close, dragging her into bed and never letting her go.

Releasing her briefly, he dropped his hands to her waist and pulled her forward, tugging her onto his lap. She complied easily, shifting around and avoiding the wound on his thigh until her legs were wrapped around him, crossing her ankles behind his back as his lips claimed hers. His tongue probed once, twice at her lower lip and she parted for him, tilting her head to the side to deepen the kiss. He held her tightly, her breasts pressing hard against his bare chest and he was suddenly very conscious of the fact that she was wearing one of his shirts, and that he very much wanted to take it back. She moaned softly into his mouth as his hands slipped lower, sneaking under the hem and sliding to a stop just under her ribs as he slowly broke their kiss, resting his forehead against hers. Both of them breathed hard for a moment, and eventually she met his intense gaze with a smile as he released her, tugging her shirt, his shirt, back into place. "We should probably take this inside," he drawled, flashing a quick grin as she immediately stepped back and pulled him to his feet.

* * *

Marta's hands were trembling slightly as she stood. The heady intoxication of Aaron's presence and the taste of him on her lips made her mind swim. After the breakneck speed of the last few days, she had been afraid that her growing infatuation with the man who had saved her life in more ways than one was purely adrenaline getting the best of her, but now she was convinced that it was more. Could be more. God, did she want it to be more.

She had been terrified when he burst into her life at her now destroyed home, but who wouldn't be? She hadn't even recognized him as she pointed her empty revolver and squeezed the trigger over and over, but slowly the panic left her mind and his eyes brought her back to herself, to the numerous examinations and checkups, to his flirtation and her avoidance, and her world tilted on its axis. _Outcome Five._

He had been shocked and angry when he learned that she didn't even know his name, and she had been ashamed at just how far she had strayed from the compassion that once led her to the medical field. Treating him in Manilla at that awful excuse for a hotel, holding him while he begged her to leave him behind, and trying to ease his pain and discomfort as he sweated out the fever made her wonder if perhaps she had wandered too far from her path as a doctor, if the rush of discovery in the lab was a false idol of sorts and she should have channeled her considerable knowledge towards actually helping people rather than helping the suits create a better killer. _But then I wouldn't have met him, and he would never have become Aaron Cross. He would have lived and died as Kenneth Kitsom, and none of this would be happening._ _No, that's not true. There would have been someone else, there is always someone else who can do the work, swallow their morals and turn a blind eye to what they were really doing to these "participants". _She wasn't sure she believed in fate, in a higher power, but if there was a reason behind all of this, she was grateful that it led her to this dangerous, amazing man.

He winced slightly as he rose from his place on the floor and she frowned, remembering the fresh wound on his thigh. "Aaron…" she began, but he wrapped his arm around her waist and started walking her back to their cabin below decks.

"It's fine. More than fine, don't worry about me." He grinned at her, that boyish smile that made her heart skip.

"It really isn't. I need to check those bandages, I don't even know if I got everything out of there! What if it gets infected, this isn't exactly a sterile environment." She bit at her lip again, her mind racing, as he steered her down the steps and into their room. Once inside he closed the door and had her up against it before she knew it, her arms gripping his shoulders tight.

"You think too much, Doc. Maybe I should help you with that." Her reply was lost as he leaned in for another kiss.


End file.
